


Fading Blue Through The Night.

by Jem (letalloursingingfollowhim)



Category: We Are The Tigers - Allen
Genre: Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, TW: Graphic Description of Blood, TW: Mentioned vomiting, TW: Stabbing, murder swap au, someone please help them, this hurts to write, tw: death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27289921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letalloursingingfollowhim/pseuds/Jem
Summary: Annleigh is dead. Clark is dead. Kate is dead.A murder swap AU.
Relationships: Annleigh & Farrah (We Are The Tigers), Annleigh/Clark (We Are The Tigers), Cairo & Riley (We Are The Tigers), Chess/Kate (We Are The Tigers)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Fading Blue Through The Night.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, please please heed the tags, blood is described really graphically here.  
> Second of all, the "----" are essentially to show different "POVs" or scene change which don't warrant another chapter.  
> Thirdly and finally, A MURDER SWAP AU!! I have plans for at least four other chapters on this so I hope executive dysfunction isn't a bitch,
> 
> Enjoy! :D

The true scent of blood is a hard scent to place exactly. A mixture of elements, strong and harsh, but not in the way one would suspect. A copper twinge which fills the air, the most commonly describing factor of blood. The copper smell seemed to settle on every surface, the blood leaching into every crevice, holding onto it tightly, refusing to relent the tainted air. Blood, while being difficult to describe with scent, was also an unusual consistency. While it was assumed that blood was thin, flowing, and wet; blood was, in reality, thick and sticky and coating every surface. The phrase “blood is thicker than water” had never made more sense until the moment that blood was perpetuating each surface, pooling and shiny.

In the very centre of the blood pool lay Annleigh and Clark. Their hands just about entwined; a shining promise ring pressed firmly on the ring finger of each hand. “Annleigh”, the silver ring of Clark’s hand said, the engraving just big enough that he would have been able to glance down at the ring and see the beautiful glint of the ring and the curves of her name. “Clark” Annleigh’s ring said, in similar fashion to Clark’s, however, Annleigh’s ring had blood caked onto the engraving, no longer a glimmer or name present, simply red.

Blood had been pouring from a wound in Annleigh’s chest for some time, coating her dress and soaking her jacket. Clark and Annleigh had been together as it had happened – the lights had cut to black, and they had heard the faint sound of footsteps. Clark had tried to reassure Annleigh that it must have been a power-cut, or the bulb had blown, and the footsteps were probably someone coming to find them and whoever else Riley happened to be missing. Despite Clark’s attempt at reassurance for Annleigh, he hadn’t quite believed it himself. He was safe. He was at Riley’s house. Surely, everything was fine.

Riley and Clark had been friends almost as long as he and Annleigh had known each other. Clark and Riley had been friends since the second grade. Riley had been the timid and quiet new girl at Clark’s elementary school, and Clark had been bouncy, extroverted, and happy to meet others, so he had taken Riley in. It hadn’t been for more than a few months, however, as Cairo had taken a shine to Riley too. Cairo was feisty and knew how to hold her own, but she was kind and helpful, a good influence for Riley. Clark felt like he had lost a friend the day Riley had chosen to play with Cairo, but it was nothing compared to how it felt whenever he saw a flash of red hair, heard the swing of a knife, and experienced the shrill and muffled (by Riley’s hand, Clark had assumed) scream of his girlfriend.

Clark had felt his breath leave his body. Immediately, he reached out to Annleigh, nothing making sense anymore. “Riley…?” Clark asked next, his voice quiet and apprehensive as he held Annleigh in his arms, his face twisted to a silent shock.

Clark didn’t have long enough to process what had happened to Annleigh, no more than twenty seconds, by the time he felt something collide against his head, blood suddenly pouring from the head wound, falling down his eyes and into his mouth. In a state of shock, he didn’t scream, he didn’t move, he didn’t speak. Clark didn’t have much time as he felt himself drift from a conscious state – was this what Annleigh was feeling too? He hoped not.

“Clark, ‘m sorry,” he heard Annleigh mumble, the last words which he had ever heard her speak. The words were thickly coated with a layer of the blood that was seeping from her mouth.

Clark didn’t have a chance to hear Annleigh’s last words or have a chance to hear Riley leave as the already dark kitchen faded further to black, his own mind thick and foggy, the kitchen slowly falling away. Clark was unconscious by the time Annleigh finished her sentence.

“I love you,” she spoke, the final words to ever escape her lips.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, Riley,” Cairo spoke finally, frustration rising in her voice. She had had enough of cautious Riley, Riley who can’t throw a party, Riley who cares too much. “Calm down for God’s sake.”

“I can’t calm down, Cairo,” Riley replied, her chest heaving as she tried to keep her breath steady – she wasn’t sure what it was. What did she have to be afraid of? It was just a party, Riley had told herself, and parties are supposed to be fun! She was having fun, right? An indescribable feeling pressed on Riley’s chest which she wasn’t able to pinpoint a cause for.

Cairo sighed, for what felt like the ninth time that night, and pulled Riley into a hug, stopping just outside the closed door of the kitchen. “Yes, you can, okay?” Cairo mumbled into the shoulder of Riley, beginning to turn to her right and open the doorknob.

Something sick twisted inside of Riley, she knew exactly what the sight was going to be as they opened the door, she knew what the pair would find. Even so, after the brief sensation of pride, Riley held her breath. She’d gotten changed so quickly out of the previous clothes, even though the blood spatter was minimal, she couldn’t get the crime linked back to her. Or maybe she wanted to. No, she didn’t. Riley just wanted what was best for the team, and what was best for the team, was this.

Cairo flicked on the light switch quickly as the door opened, her eyes taking only a moment to adjust to the light inside the room. As the kitchen became bright, Cairo wished her eyes had never adjusted. Wished she could erase the first glance at the bloodied bodies of Annleigh and Clark.

“Riley,” Cairo choked, suddenly motionless, her thoughts stopping in their tracks. The metallic scent filed into each of her senses, suffocating them until it felt like there was nothing left but the smell of blood.

Cairo wasn’t one to panic. Cairo was the one in situations to tell you exactly what was happening and what to do, her presence was in control and safe, an obvious choice of a person to ask for help. However, Cairo couldn’t think what to do; her chest too tight to breathe, her eyes too unfocused to see, her hands shaking too much to hold anything. Cairo had never had a panic attack before, but she was sure this is what it felt like.

“Oh God,” Riley replied, her own breath hitching worse than it had been before opening the door. She wasn’t sure why she was reacting the way she was; Riley had known the scene that they were going to find before them, Riley knew what was going to happen. Riley had killed them. But even for her, even for the person who had twisted the knife in through Annleigh’s rib cage and thrown the blender on Clark’s head and watched them bleed, it was too overwhelming.

“Oh God,” Riley spoke again, her voice breaking as she clasped onto the table in the middle of the room as she felt her knees buckle.

She wanted to ask Cairo what she was getting worked up for, it wasn’t as if she had liked Annleigh or Clark, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It didn’t feel like she thought it would. But yet, it did. But yet, there was still the sense of pride that twisted in her gut and made her skin tingle from head to toe. The feeling that made her want to shout that she was the one to do it, she was the one to get rid of the disease of the team! Despite the pride, there also seemed to be the reaction which she was having, a reaction that reminded her that she was still human, that she had thoughts and feelings. But like all humans, she also had wishes and desires.

“Where is everyone else?” Cairo finally asked after the pair stood in silence for a few moments, the image of the couple, bloodied and crumpled, happily cementing itself into their minds.

“I,” Riley said at first, finally fully standing up, taking a deeper breath. “I don’t know.”

“We don’t have our fucking phones,” Cairo reminded as she took a step back from the kitchen.

“I’m sorry,” Riley replied, however, remorse was not one of the emotions present in her tone.

“It’s fine. It’s not like you had “teammates die” on your agenda tonight.”

Riley huffed the smallest laugh – it had been her plan, that had been on the agenda for tonight. “Can- can we go find the others?” Riley asked after a second, the childhood stutter shining through, anxiety once again cutting past the bite of pride and the feeling of irony from Cairo’s words.

Cairo nodded, grabbing at Riley’s hand, pulling them both from the kitchen. Cairo knew the police would have to be involved at some point, but she couldn’t stand the thought of being investigated. She would get accused and she knew it as a fact, despite the fact she didn’t do it and had no motive or reason. She would have to think of a plan, a set up, so the team didn’t get investigated, and she’d have to think of it quickly.

“Hey guys!” Reese’s voice shone as Riley and Cairo backed away from the kitchen, her voice shocking them both. “What’s up? I was just going to grab a few bottles of water! Farrah and Chess are fighting again, and I didn’t want to get involved. Oh, and Kate isn’t back yet… or Annleigh? Have you seen them? Mattie is doing fine though, I think.” Reese was nervous, something didn’t feel quite right and so, she rambled. Reese didn’t pick up on the fact Riley and Cairo were in distress, she just needed to say something to someone and that someone was Riley and Cairo.  
“Reese, I wouldn’t-” Cairo fought to pick her words correctly. “-go in there. For now, anyway. Can you go back to the basement and- “? Cairo was cut off by Reese’s scream as she ignored the warnings, walking into the kitchen anyway.

Riley hung behind as Cairo rushed in after her. Reese had mentioned the fact Kate wasn’t back yet; the sick twist of pride curdled in her stomach again. Riley had gotten to Kate too. Admittedly, her intention was to kill Chess, not to kill Kate. Chess was burdensome to the team, a true detriment. But, even if the kill for Kate was accidental in the freezing darkness of outside, Riley hoped that it would be enough for Chess to quit the team, maybe overdose even. Whatever happened, Riley knew that Chess would be leaving either way. It was the same circumstance with Farrah, Riley thought, how she killed Annleigh (she hadn’t wanted to kill Clark, but then again, Clark wasn’t supposed to be at the sleepover, she had to kill him. Clark had seen Riley and she couldn’t have that.), maybe that would push Farrah over the edge, make her quit the team, stop bothering everyone. Riley’s plan had been to get as many people off the team as possible, start anew the best she could, get rid of the weak and harmful.

As per Reese’s scream, Riley was pulled from her daydream by the patter of two people running up the stairs. They were all going to see Annleigh and Clark’s bodies and see the bloodied sight in the kitchen. Riley, despite everything, was still shaking fiercely, even more so as she stepped back into the kitchen, the sound of the two people – Farrah and Mattie – following behind.

Hearing the scream from Reese, Farrah wasn’t sure what to suspect as she followed Mattie up the basement stairs. Chess had decided the argument between herself and Farrah had not been worthwhile and she stepped outside to take a breath and see if she was able to find Kate, who had been missing for some time.

What Farrah had not expected to see, as she ascended the stairs and made her way into the kitchen, was the bloodied bodies of her sister and person she had considered as close as a brother. Farrah was frozen in her steps as she glanced at both of the bodies lying limp in a pool of their own blood and then glanced back up at the rest of the kitchen. It seemed so normal, so pristine. Everything about Riley’s house was neat, tidy, and white, giving it almost the feeling of a doctors’ office.

Farrah swallowed, bile rising to her throat as her eyes refused to focus on anything. Her sister was dead, her sister was dead, her sister was dead. Everything around Annleigh and Clark felt as if it had begun to drip away. The pristine white walls, the pantry, the neatly stacked silver wear, and China. It all fell away, leaving only the two bodies in Farrah’s view. She was choking.

“Annleigh,” Farrah tried, her own voice feeling like miles away. Placing a hand to her face, it came back damp. At some point, involuntary tears had begun to flow down her cheeks, the insurmountable nature of the situation hadn’t fully been registered quite yet. All that Farrah could tell was that her sister was dead and so was her pseudo-brother.

Farrah wasn’t quite sure when she had gotten pulled into a gentle hug by Riley, but she was being held by her at the kitchen table, Riley softly unbraiding her hair. Around the table sat Cairo, cheeks tear stained and head in her hands; Reese, hands held in front of her and head down; and Mattie, the newest member of the tigers, eyes trained to the furthest wall, her expression blank.

“What the fuck are we going to do now?” Cairo asked, her voice quiet and firm, but loud enough to have broken the seemingly impenetrable silence that surrounded the kitchen.

Before anyone had the chance to answer, another scream was heard, a sobbing scream, so filled with anguish and despair that it was difficult to hear.

“Chess,” Cairo mumbled, immediately standing up, the rest of the group following suit.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chess wasn’t sure what had started the argument between her and Farrah, all she could really recall was that one moment they were sitting down, waiting for someone to make conversation, and then the next, they were at each other’s throats. Moments after Reese had opted out of the room, leaving Mattie to be the one who looked like she didn’t want to be there, Chess had left the room too. She needed to step outside to cool off; Farrah was so infuriating.

Outside Riley’s house was cool, much colder than it had been when Chess had arrived with Kate, unhappy and not at all in the mood for a team sleepover. Chess couldn’t shake thoughts of Farrah as she paced from the Williams’ house to the edge of the trees which lined the gated community.

She’d been so reckless, so stupid. Chess wasn’t sure that she’d ever be able to forgive herself for dropping a teammate in front of a crowd of so many people. Chess knew it had been her own fault. The fact the school-board hadn’t decided to kick her off the team then and there was a miracle, and she’d counted herself lucky more than once. The board hadn’t known that she was high during the game, not requiring a drug test, despite how much Farrah had insisted that Chess had been high. Everyone had assumed Farrah was delirious and confused from concussion.

Kate had gotten so angry at Farrah for that, repeating to her that Chess was clean and that she had been for some time, despite the fact it wasn’t true. Chess had been using since a knee injury she’d sustained during cheer. The pain had been awful, she’d barely been able to move for weeks, the pain burning and searing, twisting around her knee. The pills had made it feel better, made it easier to manage. Kate hadn’t been angry with her the first time she found out that Chess had been abusing; Kate had assumed that Chess would stop as soon as the pain reduced. The pain got better but Chess hadn’t.

Chess took a breath, on her fourth lap of pacing, suddenly pulled from her reverie at the thought of Kate. Anxiety twisted in her chest, taking grip as her heart pounded. Chess knew that Kate had been taking a while, but she’d tried not to think about how long it had been, or to think about Kate at all. The reason Kate had decided to take a few moments outside to herself was Chess’ fault. Chess had managed to convince Kate that she wasn’t abusing the pills anymore, but Kate had found them again. Found the orange bottle holding the small, white pain medication, Chess’ lifeline.

Apprehensively, Chess began to pat her bag in search of her phone. If she could just text Kate, see if she was okay and ask her where she was. Then, Chess cursed under her breath – Riley had taken the phones at the start of the night, there was no way to contact Kate. Sighing in frustration, Chess began to pace again, this time deciding to explore a little more of Riley’s beautifully kept garden.

It wasn’t long before her walk led her to the edge of the trees, the place where the bench she had been sitting on with Kate stood. Making her way over to the bench to see if Kate was anywhere to be seen, Chess stopped in her tracks. While it was dark outside, the sun just having set and the moon not quite bright yet, she could just about see something coating the bench and someone laying beside it.  
“Kate?” Chess questioned, rushing over to the bench, panic suddenly pulsing through her chest.

“Hey,” Kate replied, now incredibly in view.

The thing coating the bench was blood. Thick, red blood was spread across the bench and was rushing from a wound in Kate’s stomach at a rapid flowing pace. Chess’ hands shook as she kneeled down beside Kate, too stunned for words.

“Kate? Kate, what happened?” Chess asked, her voice appearing stunned yet frantic, the knees of her leggings becoming sticky with the blood of her best friend.

“I got stabbed,” Kate paused for a moment, coughing thickly, a spatter of blood settling on her lips. “I think, anyway. Does it look bad?” Kate’s tone still rang of sarcasm despite the situation. More blood began to drip from the corners of her mouth, her arms too weak to wipe it off.

“You-you’re going to be okay, okay?” Chess tried to reassure, the entire situation suddenly feeling like the set of a movie screen. She was an actor on the set and she was watching the movie playback, Kate merely only acting.

Tears began to pour from Chess’ eyes as Kate’s began to glaze over more than they had been as she swallowed, the taste of metal filling her mouth more rapidly than before.

“Hey, hey Chess. It’s fine, it’s okay.” Kate desperately tried to lift her arm to wipe away the tears of her best friend, the argument and the situation of earlier suddenly falling away, no longer seeming relevant.

Chess hiccupped. “Don’t leave.”

“It wasn’t my plan but- “Kate’s voice got cut off by a harsh cough that shook her body, blood pouring from her mouth as she winced

“Please,” Chess begged as she clasped at Kate’s hand, not caring how caked in blood she would become, anything to give her best friend a last few moments of comfort.

Fear hadn’t set into Chess yet; while Kate was alive, she hadn’t even begun to question who could have been behind the stabbing, because in that moment, it didn’t really matter. The only thing that mattered to Chess, was letting Kate know that she was loved and that it was okay. It wasn’t okay. It wasn’t okay at all. The thought rose in Chess that, if she’d just been a bit more careful, a little nicer to Kate, then she wouldn’t have been out by herself, and she wouldn’t have been stabbed. Chess shuddered.

“I’m not stupid, I know I’m dying,” Kate began, each word careful and slow, more trudging than the next as Chess simply nodded, wracking sobs stronger than before. “But- “Kate coughed again. “But, I love you, okay?” The way Kate spoke was so deliberate, the way the words seemed to be caressed as she spoke them.

Chess couldn’t get her words out quick enough before she watched Kate’s chest stop the pained rising and falling, suddenly still. “Kate- Kate no. No, please. Kate!” Chess was frantic again, the words pouring from her mouth after having been lost. “Kate, please, please, please. Wake up!” Sobs rushed from Chess, screaming and crying to the limp body of her best friend. Chess would have done everything for one last moment with Kate. “Please,” she continued to cry, sobbing so painful and harsh, hyperventilating with each cry.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cairo was the first to find Chess with Kate’s body, the others trailed behind her, no one quite sure what was going on. At first, Cairo wasn’t sure if it had just been Kate who had been hurt as Chess’ hands and leggings were covered in thick red blood. It wasn’t until Cairo saw Chess’ sobbing that she realised that it was Kate who had been stabbed and looked decidedly dead. Whispering “oh God” under her breath, Cairo knelt down beside Chess, gesturing for the others to stand still.

“Chess,” Cairo hummed, reaching a hand out to her. Cairo had never seen anything affect Chess that way, but then again, Cairo had never felt that way herself. “Here,” Cairo continued, helping Chess up and immediately tugging her into a hug. Despite the fact Cairo and Chess had never really been friends, it only seemed like the right thing to do.

Pulling out from the hug, Chess glanced at Farrah who hadn’t moved her eyes from Kate’s body, feeling so disconnected from everything around her. The argument seemed so irrelevant now, every argument Chess – or Farrah – had ever had with anyone seemed not to mean anything in that moment.

“Where’s Mattie?” Cairo asked suddenly, scanning the garden for the other member of the sleepover.

“She felt sick,” Riley replied, her arms around Farrah’s shoulders, her mouth suppressing a smile, the corners just wanting to tilt up as she saw Kate laying there. Kate had potential and Riley really hadn’t meant to kill her. But on the other hand, Kate was argumentative and questioned her rightfully earned authority, so it didn’t really matter if Kate died or not, Chess would probably quit the team and be gone either way.

“She went inside?” Cairo asked, wondering what was going through Mattie’s mind to go back inside after three people had been murdered.

“Yeah,” Reese replied, not waiting for Riley to speak again.

Riley was still holding Farrah by her side, carefully running her hands through her hair and whispering that it would be okay, it would be fine. However, Farrah began to sob again, no amount of comfort would be able to make the situation any better.

Farrah had argued with Annleigh hours before the sleepover, telling her over and over again that she didn’t want to go “to a stupid sleepover!” and that she “was going to the damn party weather Annleigh liked it or not.” And now Annleigh was dead. The last words Farrah had had with Annleigh was an argument over something that seemed so small and trivial compared to the weight of the situation that was now resting on the entire team. Farrah hadn’t been grateful when Clark had come to collect her from the party – she had argued with him too, told him the same things he’d told Annleigh before the party. And now Clark was dead.

The entire team was brought to silence as they waited with bated breath for Mattie to appear. No one knew what to say to anyone else, all they could do was sit in silence until someone had something to interject. The next person to speak happened to be Riley: “we need to go to the police.”

“No shit,” Cairo replied, unreasonably angry at Riley for pointing out the obvious. She’d been trying so hard to think of a plan that didn’t involve the group of them getting investigated and ruining the team further than it already was, but it felt like her mind had gone numb. Cairo couldn’t think of what she wanted to say or what she wanted to do, all she could do was sit and stare at Kate’s limp body.

Until Mattie appeared.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken Mattie a few moments to work out where the rest of the team had gone; Riley’s house was so disorienting, and it had taken much too long to go find a bathroom. At the bathroom, Mattie had slipped on something when she entered, hitting her head off the edge of the toilet seat, blood gushing from the wound on her head as she threw up.

Blood had spilled onto the edge of the seat and breath left her body as she scrambled to try and apply pressure to her own head, but nausea and dizziness got the better of her and all she could do was lean against the toilet until it had passed. When she stood up again, around the toilet had looked like the scene in the kitchen had – bloodied and messy.

Mattie couldn’t breathe. She’d been so excited for the sleepover, so grateful for the position of a flyer on the Tiger’s cheer team. Mattie had assumed the sleepover would be a great place to make new friends and meet new people, but it had not at all worked out in her favour. It had been going fine enough until Annleigh and Clark. There had been arguments and disagreements, but Mattie was happy with that, happy to see that the team seemed so normal. And then they found Annleigh and her boyfriend, dead. The same Annleigh who had been talking non-stop about dressage not a half an hour ago.

It had been too much for her. The sight, the smell, the feelings. The entire situation had been more overwhelming than she thought a situation could feel, and it made her sick, she couldn’t handle it. The blood splatter against the toilet was enough to make her feel an entire new wave of emotions, but she tried to ignore it, tried to orient herself, tried to make her way outside. Mattie had no idea how the rest of the night would go, no idea what was happening, she had never been more afraid.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattie, covered in blood, alarmed the rest of the team the moment they saw her, earning a distressed “are you hurt?” from Riley. The irony was so biting, but only she felt it. Mattie may have been hurt but it hadn’t been Riley’s fault. Mattie was new, a fresh face for a team who needed it, someone to help bring the team back to glory.

Mattie looked so confused and vulnerable as she stood at the edge of the trees, chest heaving and eyes completely glassy. Mattie knew she’d gotten outside but at the same time, it felt as if she hadn’t deliberately left, that the fact she was now in a cold outside was confusing. She didn’t speak or move, simply, she stood perfectly still, shivering and trembling as Cairo walked up to her.

Cairo knew what she was doing was wrong. The familiar feeling of guilt and sorrow began to pool in her gut and chest as she scowled at Mattie. What she was doing was terrible, no innocent girl deserved what she was about to do; but they had no other choice. Mattie was new and no one knew her, and as far as Cairo was concerned, she could actually be completely right in what she was about to do. She knew she wasn’t, but there was a glimmer that she hoped she was. Cairo was terrified.

“You killed Annleigh, Kate and Clark.”

“What?” Mattie replied, her voice barely half as strong as Cairo’s.

“You killed them.”

The rest of the team, huddling at the bench, didn’t react, their own thoughts too loud to hear Cairo’s plan.

“No- no I didn’t.”

“Yes you did.”

Mattie paused for a moment – she couldn’t really seem to remember very much, her memory blanking out at parts. Maybe she did kill them. Maybe she had picked up the knife and stabbed the people she didn’t know. No one else in the team was defending her, so maybe she had. Maybe they all knew she had. Maybe she was the only one who didn’t remember.

“Did I?” Mattie swallowed.

“You don’t remember? You killed them.” Cairo felt like she was being punched in the stomach as she manipulated Mattie. It felt so wrong, Cairo knew no one on the team would do that, no one would kill innocent girls.

“I did…” Mattie wondered, horrified at the prospect that she truly had murdered innocent members of the cheer team.

“Exactly.”

“Please call the police.”

It was too easy, way, way too easy, Cairo thought. She took Mattie’s hand and lead her back to the group, both silent. Cairo struggled to breathe or quite to grasp the enormity of what she had done. Mattie was definitely innocent, but someone had to be blamed, someone had to be investigated, and it couldn’t be the entire team. So, who else to choose other than the girl no one knew? Freshman just… snapped sometimes.

“What are we going to do?” Reese asked, breaking the few seconds of silence.

“Call the police,” Cairo replied.

It was too easy to frame Mattie, she was so willing, so vulnerable. Cairo felt sick the entire time as she prompted Mattie, scripting her on what to say to the police when they arrived. Each of the team had a part, everyone on the team was just a little too broken down to refuse. Cairo hadn’t expected everyone to be on board with the plans, but it seemed like she was the only person with any decent ideas, so they had to go along with her. If they could get the mess off their hands, go home, push it to the back of their minds, leave Mattie to pick up the pieces, everything might just be okay.

After Mattie had been taken away and everyone’s parents called, the guilt didn’t feel as unbearable as they had assumed it would feel. No one felt good about framing Mattie, but it was her problem now. The entire team was too numb to truly feel much about Mattie’s false conviction. Maybe they eventually would, they thought, but in that moment, they couldn’t.

No one said anything as they watched the coroner take away the three bodies of the people they loved. No one said anything as the police began to investigate Riley’s house, only speaking up when they were questioned. And no one said anything as their parents arrived, tear stained and open armed, ready to take their children home and to cater to everything they needed, unsure truly of the trauma that would come about from the situation.

As the rest of the team slowly filed out, Riley couldn’t help but sit, shocked. She’d gotten away with killing people on her team, she’d been able to make the team better, now. Even if Mattie had ended up framed, maybe the team didn’t need Mattie as much as Riley thought they did. The team wasn’t diseased anymore. The team was going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any questions or comments, please leave them!! Comments! Make! Me! HAPPY.
> 
> \- Jem <3.


End file.
